Twisted Limbs in Kittens

Numerous emails asking me for further information on twisted limb kittens have concerned stray or rescued cats and their kittens. It is easy to assume that the condition is linked to poor nutrition, poor welfare, disease or some genetic factor which has been bred out of purebreds.

However, as well as affecting moggies, twisted limbs have been noted in a wide range of breeds including Persians/Himalayans, Exotic Shorthairs, Korats, Bengals, Abyssinians/Somalis, British Shorthairs, American Shorthairs, Burmese, Siamese/Orientals and Turkish Vans. It is not limited to domestic cats and has apparently been noted in a captive-bred tiger cub where treatment was partially successful (the hind limbs apparently remaining weak). Twisted limbs have been reported in other domestic animals, in livestock and in zoo animals.

Occurrence and Frequency of Twisted Limb Kittens

In cats, the condition is not geographically limited. Twisted limb kittens have been, and continue to be, reported around the world. As well as Sophia in the UK, cases have been reported in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe (including Eastern Europe), Hong Kong, Japan, Israel and the Middle East.

Sometimes more than one kitten in a litter is affected. Cat rescuer Beth reported that three out of four kittens born to her rescued feral cat were affected. The feral mother abandoned three kittens right after birth and they were taken in by Beth. The mother and the fourth kitten were found hidden in the hay barn two days later. Two of the three abandoned kittens had crooked hind limbs. The fourth kitten, i.e. the one not abandoned, also had crooked hind limbs. Beth's vet had not seen this condition previously and suggested leaving the kittens for a few weeks to see if the limbs straightened out of their own accord. At four days old, the kittens' legs can be moved into the correct position.

The occurrence of the condition in pedigree cats indicates that it is not restricted to poorly nourished cats. It was initially thought that Sophia's mother, a stray, had been poorly nourished and that this contributed to Sophia's condition e.g. insufficient calcium for proper bone growth. Sophia's sister was perfectly normal and the mother showed no depletion of calcium in her own bones. In addition, Sophia's forelimbs were robust rather than fragile.

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